The present invention generally relates to control of a heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) system, and more particularly, but not exclusively, to operating a variable speed compressor and associated components in accordance with predefined valid operating parameters. Compressors in HVAC systems raise the pressure of a refrigerant from an evaporator pressure to a condenser pressure. The evaporator pressure is sometimes referred to as the suction pressure and the condenser pressure is sometimes referred to as the discharge pressure. At the suction pressure, the refrigerant is capable of cooling a desired medium. These systems may utilize many compressor types, including rotary screw compressors and scroll compressors amongst others. A variety of conditions may cause the compressor to operate or rotate in a reverse direction where, for example, the compressor will move or attempt to move refrigerant from the direction of a refrigerant outlet of the compressor toward a refrigerant inlet of the compressor. Amongst other things, operation of the compressor in this manner may create friction and undesired internal heat which can result in great stresses on compressor components and in turn lead to damage, failure and/or reduced durability or lifespan of the compressor or other system components. In some instances, it can be determined that the compressor is operating in reverse by detecting internal heat increases, and corrective action such as terminating operation of the compressor can be taken before the compressor or other system components are damaged. However, in certain forms, the detection of internal heat increases may not occur until after damage to the compressor has already occurred. Alleviating difficulties found in controlling heating, ventilation, and air conditioning systems remains an area of interest. Present approaches to this suffer from a variety of limitations and disadvantages relative to certain applications. Accordingly, there is a need for further contributions to this technology.